Augustus Kountze (November 19, 1826–April 30, 1892) was an American businessman based in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, Kountze, Texas and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He founded a late 19th-century national banking dynasty along with his brothers Charles,

Herman Herman may refer to: People * Herman (name), list of people with this name * Saint Herman (disambiguation) * Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman Places in the United States * Herman, Arkansas * Herman, Michigan * Herman, Min ...

and

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

."August Kountze obituary"
''New York Times.'' May 1, 1892. Retrieved 1/28/08. In 1861, Augustus was named

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

of the

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

, and in 1867 was named the first

of the

State of Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the s ...

. In 1862, US President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

appointed him to the original Board of Directors of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

Biography

Born in 1826 in rural

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, Kountze was one of the seven children of Christian and Margaret Kountze (originally ''Kuntze''). Christian had immigrated to the U.S. from

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, a German province. After marrying Margaret Zerbe of Pennsylvania, the couple relocated in

Osnaburg Osnaburg is a general term for coarse, plain-weave fabric. It also refers specifically to a historic fabric originally woven in flax but also in tow or jute, and from flax or tow warp with a mixed or jute weft. Historic osnaburg Osnaburg fab ...

, in Stark County, Ohio. There he opened a grocery store and trained his sons in business. Augustus left his parents' home in 1854, moving to

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000. The county seat of Muscatine County, it is located along the Mississippi River. The lo ...

, and then westward to Omaha in 1855, where he began trading in real estate. In Omaha Kountze developed a massive banking, real estate and railroad portfolio. His diverse holdings included the Omaha Horse Railway Company; he was the Treasurer of the

and the state of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

from 1861 through 1869. In 1858, he wrote to his

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

pastor in Canton, Ohio, and requested that Nebraska be named a mission field of the church. Because of that action the first Lutheran worship service in Nebraska was held on December 5, 1858.

Banking and real estate

Kountze lived in Omaha until 1872. In the intervening years, he and his brother Herman accumulated a great number of land holdings along the Missouri River, including Brownville,

Nebraska City Nebraska City is a city in Nebraska, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated ...

, Tekamah and

Dakota City, Nebraska Dakota City is a city in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,919 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dakota County. Tyson Foods' largest beef production plant is located in Dakota City. History Dakota City was p ...

, and

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

. Eventually Kountze held a great deal of

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

across the Midwest and

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

. He had large holdings in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, and later invested heavily in central and western Nebraska. Eventually the two brothers held land in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and across

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that comprises most of 41 counties. It is primarily divided into Northeast and Southeast Texas. Most of the region cons ...

."The Kountze Brothers"
, ''Omaha Illustrated.'' Retrieved 1/28/08. Kountze was responsible for the 1868 sale of land in

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the ...

which became

Fort Omaha Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, ...

. In 1856, Augustus and Herman established Kountze Brothers Bank, later changing the name to First National Bank of Omaha. Fellow Omaha pioneer Edward Creighton became president of the bank, remaining in that position until his death in 1874. Kountze was responsible for the construction of the First National Bank Building in Omaha. In 1866, Augustus's brother Charles founded the Colorado National Bank, which named Augustus as a senior member; likewise in 1868 brother

opened the Kountze Brothers Bank in New York City, and also named Augustus a senior member.

Railroads

Augustus Kountze was deeply invested in

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

s across the western United States. He was president of the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railroad, and when it was consolidated with the

Fitchburg Railroad The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900. The main l ...

he became a director in that company, position he held until death. Herman and Augustus were the principal backers of th
Omaha and Northwestern Railroad
and also held an interest in the

Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad The Denver, South Park, and Pacific Railroad (later called the Denver, Leadville and Gunnison Railway) was a historic narrow gauge railroad that operated in Colorado in the western United States in the late 19th century. The railroad opened up the ...

and the Sabine and East Texas Railway. The town of Kountze, Texas, was named in honor of the Kountze brothers' investment in that railroad. Kountze was a Government Director for the

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

, and is recorded as being influential in the placement of the Union Pacific Headquarters in Omaha, along with the

Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center The Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center is located at 850 Jones Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Called "the Bunker" by some, the Harriman is Union Pacific's rail traffic control headquarters, where the movement of more than 850 trains and n ...

and the Union Pacific Shops. Periodically Augustus' diverse interests would supplement one another. For instance, in 1880 he announced his desire to complete the Sabine and East Texas Railroad from Beaumont, Texas, through

Sabine Pass, Texas Sabine Pass is a neighborhood in Port Arthur, Texas. It lies at Sabine Pass, on the west bank of the Sabine River, the border between Louisiana and Texas, and was incorporated in 1861. Formally annexed by Port Arthur in 1978, Sabine Pass has its ...

, to Rockland, Texas. This enabled Kountze to market the of virgin timber on land which he owned in nearby counties. In 1872, Kountze moved to New York City permanently to assist with the expanding operations of the brothers' banking operations there. He was a director of the New York Security and Trust Company as well. A wedding of a niece at his home in

was regarded as a major social event in 1892.

Philanthropy

In 1885, Kountze funded the construction of the Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church in Omaha, which was named in honor of Christian Kountze, his father. Today the church is located at 26th & Farnam Streets in

Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline ...

. He also funded a church in Ohio in honor of his parents, as well as much of St. James Lutheran Church in New York City."Augustus Kountze's Funeral"
''New York Times.'' May 5, 1892. Retrieved 1/31/08.

Death

After Kountze died in 1892 he was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

References

External links

Historic postcard
of Kountze's First National Bank
Historic postcard
of Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church
Historic postcard
of

Kountze Park Kountze Park is an urban public park located at 1920 Pinkney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. The Park is historically significant as the site of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kountze, Augustus 1826 births 1892 deaths American bankers American real estate businesspeople Philanthropists from New York (state) Businesspeople from New York City Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska History of Omaha, Nebraska

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

People from Stark County, Ohio Union Pacific Railroad people People from Kountze, Texas State treasurers of Nebraska